Hanwha Semitech is stepping up its push into Taiwan's semiconductor supply chain, holding closed-door talks with Foxconn and ASE Holdings at SEMICON Taiwan 2025, according to South Korean media. Analysts see the move as part of Hanwha's drive to showcase its assembly equipment and capture orders from Taiwan's rapidly growing OSAT sector.
Strategic partnerships take center stage
Industry outlet The Guru reported that Hanwha Semitech met with Foxconn's operations team in a private booth meeting and also held talks with ASE executives on potential cooperation. The meetings highlight why Taiwan is now viewed as a critical market for global semiconductor equipment suppliers.
Foxconn accelerates semiconductor ambitions
Foxconn has been accelerating its semiconductor ambitions in 2025, moving beyond its core electronics assembly business. The company is building an integrated circuit packaging and testing plant with India's HCL Group, scheduled to start operations by 2027, and has partnered with France's Thales SA and Radiall SA to set up a joint venture in advanced packaging and testing. These efforts explain why Hanwha Semitech is eyeing Foxconn as a strategic partner.
ASE expands to meet AI demand
ASE, the world's largest OSAT provider, is expanding aggressively to meet rising AI-driven semiconductor demand. Serving clients such as Nvidia, Qualcomm, Intel, and AMD, the company is enlarging its global footprint with a second site in San Jose, California, and new land in Tonalá, Mexico. In May 2025, ASE also signed a KRW8 billion contract with Hanmi Semiconductor for flip-chip bonders, underscoring strong demand for advanced packaging tools.
Building on SEMICON momentum
Hanwha Semitech's latest push builds on momentum from SEMICON Taiwan 2024, when it appeared as Hanwha Precision Machinery and showcased its SFM5-Expert thermal compression bonder for high-bandwidth memory, DIGITIMES reported.
At SEMICON Taiwan 2025, the company expanded its roadmap, unveiling its SFM5 TnR chip-on-wafer multi-chip bonder and previewing next-generation fluxless and hybrid bonders slated for release in early 2026.
The upcoming lineup, including the "SHB2 Nano" hybrid bonder, is designed to deliver sub-micron alignment and chemical bonding essential for advanced multi-layer HBM stacks, according to MK News.
Taiwan's rising role as a global hub for OSAT services and semiconductor equipment is turning it into a prime market for Korean suppliers. With Foxconn advancing its semiconductor push and ASE enlarging its AI-driven packaging capacity, Hanwha Semitech's engagement at SEMICON Taiwan underscores both the competitive urgency and the opportunities emerging from the AI hardware boom.
Article translated by Levi Li and edited by Jerry Chen
